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Hands-on with prototypes of the Xbox One and new Kinect sensor
We gasped our way through the liveblog. We brought you news of the specs and the software and all that other good stuff. But now it's time to take a deep dive into the Xbox One, Microsoft's next-gen console, and what it might mean for Earth's living rooms. Engadget was given exclusive access to the hallowed labs at the heart of this project and to the engineers who made it happen. We got to play with prototypes of the hardware and to discover firsthand whether Kinect 2.0 really can tell if we're winking. Read on past the break and we promise to spare you no detail.%Gallery-189016%
Xbox One isn't backwards compatible with Xbox 360 discs or Xbox Live Arcade, Gamerscore transfers
It's true: the Xbox One will not play your Xbox 360 game discs, nor will your Xbox Live Arcade games transfer (not to mention any other content that's dependent on the 360's hardware architecture, anyhow). That Gamerscore you've been earning, though? That's gonna transfer. As will your Xbox Live Gamertag. Sadly, due to the x86 architecture of the Xbox One, the PowerPC-based 360 titles simply won't run on the hardware. Microsoft's not super worried about consumer reaction, though, telling Engadget, "We care very much about the investment people have made in Xbox 360 and will continue to support it with a pipeline of new games and new apps well into the future," a Microsoft rep told us. That said, Xbox One is designed, "to play an entirely new generation of games -- games that are architected to take full advantage of state-of-the-art processors and the infinite power of the cloud." We got a glimpse at some of those new games this afternoon, but we expect to see much more at E3 in a few weeks.
Building Xbox One: An inside look at Microsoft's play for the next generation of gaming
The engineers in Microsoft's windowless next-gen Xbox silicon lab are rattled. And understandably so. We're in their office, after all, and we have a mess of cameras in the one place you're not allowed to have cameras (or even cellphones). We're obviously outsiders on Microsoft's multi-building, security-heavy Mountain View campus, especially given our quartet of esteemed escorts: Todd Holmdahl, Ilan Spillinger, Nick Baker and Greg Williams. These four gentlemen are leading the charge on both Microsoft's next big thing and, perhaps more importantly, a major effort to internalize silicon architecture at the traditionally software-focused megacorp. The skittish engineers aren't worried we'll film the mess of 24-inch LCD screens running video-compression tests, or the rows of desks with water hose stations used for temperature stress tests, or even the sea of circuit boards in various states of disrepair -- that's all standard for any Silicon Valley computer lab. It's really just a single chip that's causing concern: a custom-built Microsoft SoC that sits at the heart of the Xbox One. It's this SoC that has us in Mountain View, Calif. -- in Silicon Valley, literally down the road from Google -- a mere five days before Microsoft will unveil its next game console to the world. Over six hours last Friday, we learned not just about that SoC, but also how the company plans to utilize it in the new console. We spoke with its four lead hardware architects. We toured the labs where they are testing the silicon, and where the next-generation Kinect was born. What follows is more than a look behind the silicon that drives the next Xbox -- it's a deep dive into the changing approach Microsoft's taking to creating devices.%Gallery-188921%
Microsoft lands NFL partnerships for Xbox One and the football field (video)
Microsoft is clearly determined to sew up some of the best content for the Xbox One: it just revealed a special, multi-year partnership with the NFL. The two are working on an optimized experience that better integrates fantasy football, including score displays, onscreen updates and Skype. They also promise exclusive content, naturally, including a lock on translating many of these experiences to tablets. The partnership will extend to the real arenas, too -- among other technologies, Microsoft will bring Surface tablets to coaches and players to improve their communication and play calling. There aren't many more details so far, but it's evident that Microsoft wants to cater to football fans with a lot more than just its existing ESPN app.
Xbox OneGuide brings HDMI in/out, overlays for live TV
Today Microsoft revealed the Xbox One, and confirmed rumors that its new game console is ready to take over as the heart of your home theater. The new box features HDMI in and out for passthrough with your cable or satellite box. It's even able to control connected devices with Kinect 2.0-detected voice and gesture commands thanks to IR blasters and HDMI-CEC. On stage, executives showed off the Xbox OneGuide, demonstrating a way to pull up information including trending programming or fantasy sports stats while watching live TV. There's also a live TV show for Halo in the works, and Microsoft brought NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on stage to talk about integration with the number one pro sports league. There's no word on exactly which cable, telco or satellite TV systems this will integrate with, but Microsoft's PR states it "is committed to bringing live TV through various solutions to all the markets where Xbox One will be available" and mentions HDMI is required for the feature to work. It's supposed to be available at launch in the US, with "global scale" anticipated over time. Check after the break for a few pics of the guide and the back of the Xbox One showing its IR output.
Microsoft announces Halo live-action TV series created by 343 Industries and Steven Spielberg
The Xbox One is a big deal for consoles, but Microsoft just made a massive content announcement at today's reveal event -- a live-action Halo TV series. As if the existence of such a television show weren't enough, it turns out that 343 Industries is teaming up with renowned moviemaker Steven Spielberg to bring the world of Master Chief to life in serial form. Spielberg will be the executive producer and the show will provide "exclusive interactive Xbox One content," whatever that means. Unfortunately, neither Microsoft nor Mr. Spielberg are telling when the show will actually be available for your eyeballs to view, but it is, most assuredly an actual thing. And just knowing that the follow-up to Halo: Forward Unto Dawn is coming is enough, right?
Xbox Studios will release 15 exclusive One titles in the first year, eight new franchises
A number of launch titles have been mentioned at the Xbox One reveal event, but Microsoft Studios announced that it has more titles in development now than ever before. In fact, 15 exclusive Xbox One titles will launch in its first year and eight of those are brand-new franchises. Of course, we're still not exactly sure when that countdown will be begin, but perhaps we'll catch a glimpse of the software goods in a few days at E3.
Max Payne creator Remedy Games crafting Quantum Break for Xbox One
The folks behind such games as the original Max Payne and Alan Wake are crafting a next-gen experience for the Xbox One in Quantum Break. The tease video we saw showed a young girl, in real life, with her parents -- she apparently sees through time, and is able to convey what she sees. She places a hand on her mother and shows her a massive war ship crashing through a bridge. We're then taken to an office building lobby being shot up. It's... not clear at all what all this has to do with anything, but there you have it. We'll have more details as soon as possible.%Gallery-188991%
Forza Motorsport 5 coming to Xbox One at launch (update: video)
Phil Spencer just hopped on stage at Microsoft's Xbox Reveal event and has just unveiled Forza Motorsport 5 for the Xbox One. While there's no firm launch date for the console just yet, the next-gen racing title will arrive on launch day when Redmond's next gaming box arrives later this year. Microsoft hasn't published the eye candy-filled trailer it just played up on stage, but you can be sure we'll update here when it does. Update: Our fine friends over at Joystiq have gotten ahold of the trailer, which we've slotted in past the break.
Xbox One SmartGlass brings more control, content to companion devices
Microsoft's Xbox One is promising even more second-screen support than we saw on the Xbox 360. An improvement of the SmartGlass integration we've seen pop up on the Xbox 360, Microsoft says it can make your mobile device feel like it was "built" to work with your console. The current SmartGlass app has seen over 10 million downloads, and it looks like Microsoft is aiming for more this time around. It will also be able to screen scrape video, encode it to h.264 and send it over to your second screen, although what will work on which devices is still unknown. What is mentioned in the press release is that it will support multiple devices at once, for multiplayer and shared entertainment. It's also promising exclusive experiences with its NFL partnership that attach to SmartGlass and Skype integration, so we'll expect to see more about that in the future.
EA shows first Xbox One games: FIFA, NBA Live, Madden and UFC (video)
EA teased hours ago that FIFA 14 would be one of the first Xbox One games, but it just used Microsoft's event to unveil a considerably wider slate. FIFA 14, NBA Live 14, Madden 25 and EA Sports UFC are all coming to the new console within the next 12 months. All of them are using a new engine, EA Sports Ignite, that has 10 times the animation detail, smarter artificial intelligence, 3D crowds, "living" sidelines and a daily dose of new content through Xbox Live. EA and Microsoft are getting cozier with the deal, too -- FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will be an Xbox exclusive. We'll have to wait for more detail about that game later this year, but it's safe to say that Microsoft won't be lacking for major sports titles during the Xbox One's vital first year.
EA announces EA Sports Ignite, a next-generation game engine
Thought Frostbite 3 was EA's only big next-gen games engine? Think again: the publisher just announced EA Sports Ignite at Xbox One's reveal event, a new game engine designed specifically for high-end sports titles. "EA Sports Ignite is designed specifically to help us blur the line between the real and the virtual," Andrew Wilson said as he took the stage, listing off a quartet of new games powered by the engine: FIFA, Madden NFL, NBA Live and UFC. Wilson says the engine will allow EA developers to soak its next-gen sports titles in an unprecedented amount of detail, promising to hurdle the animation limitations of current sports games by a factor of 10. The engine's computational claims are even more impressive, offering as much as "four times more calculations per second," according to Wilson, who says it will allow EA to create "human-like intelligence." I guess developers are sick of bad computer AI too. Check out our Xbox One reveal liveblog right here.
Xbox One runs three operating systems, including cut-down Windows for apps
The latest update out of the currently unfolding announcement in Redmond: the next-generation Xbox will run three operating systems simultaneously. Complementing Windows 8 and RT on PCs and tablets, there'll be a third distinct version of Microsoft's operating system that has been pared down specifically for the new console. This will be the main system OS used to run apps such as Skype and other non-game titles downloaded from the Xbox storefront. At the same time, virtualization technology similar to Microsoft's Hyper-V will be used to allocate the bulk of system resources to a second, dedicated "Xbox OS" when the user loads up a game. This game OS will remain a fixed entity throughout the life of the console, so that game developers can be confident their games will run regardless of how much the Windows side of the machine gets updated. Finally, the third OS sounds like a small layer to assist with the virtualization, allowing the two main personalities of the console to talk to each other. Read on for more.
Xbox One hardware and specs: 8-core CPU, 8GB RAM, 500GB hard drive and more
Slot-loading Blu-ray drive? Check. HDMI out and in? Absolutely, considering the Xbox One is meant to play a central role in the living room. There's an octa-core processor based on AMD's Jaguar design and 8GB of RAM to go up against the Sony PlayStation 4, plus USB 3.0 ports, 500GB of hard drive storage, WiFi Direct for communicating with the new controller and other devices, and a humungous amount of silicon to drive it all: no fewer than five billion transistors, which compares to 1.4 billion in your average Intel or AMD chip (although Microsoft may have included other processors and DSPs in that count). And just in case you're wondering, the switch to an x86 PC-style architecture will indeed preclude backwards compatibility with 360 games. As for the box itself, well, it looks rather a like a little HTPC with a black and silver case and a big Xbox logo -- a visage that actually tallies with those PC-inspired internals. There's a full list of specs after the break, which we're expanding as more details pour out of Microsoft's Xbox One ongoing launch event.
Microsoft announces Skype integration for Xbox One, leverages Kinect enhancements
It may have taken two years and a new console generation, but Microsoft is finally making good on an old promise: Skype is coming to Xbox. Microsoft has been planning to port the internet telephony service to its home console since it purchased Skype back in 2011, but it never surfaced on the Xbox 360. Now, the service is poised to make the most of the next generation, leveraging the refreshed Kinect and voice enhancements for a higher-quality experience than its predecessor was capable of. Gamers can receive calls even while watching movies, and they can open them up side by side other apps and games in Snap Mode. Naturally, Skype can be controlled via voice, with commands to shut off the mic or camera, end calls and go full screen. Group video chat was given a mention, but it's still not clear just how many folks can be looped in.%Gallery-188985% Alexis Santos contributed to this post.
Xbox One's 'Snap Mode' lets you use two apps simultaneously
Phones, tablets and game consoles typically offer single-screen experiences, that is, one app on screen at a time. Microsoft is challenging that idea, announcing what it calls "Snap Mode" at its next-generation Xbox event, taking a stab at home console multitasking. It's essentially a port of a well-known Windows 8 feature: separate apps can be pinned to the edge of the television's screen in isolated panels, allowing gamers to use Xbox apps while playing a game, or watch TV while simultaneously using Internet Explorer . Combined with the lightning-fast app switching Microsoft showed off on stage, it's definitely a big step forward for couchside computing. Check out our Xbox One reveal liveblog right here.
A new gamepad for a new game console: Microsoft's Xbox One wireless controller revealed
Despite the few protestations gamers have with the Xbox 360 wireless controller, Microsoft is apparently updating its much-loved input device for the next-generation, Xbox One. At first glance, the controller looks rather similar to its successor, though there are definitely some design tweaks in tow. For starters, the renowned "Xbox button" has been moved up a bit, making room for a couple of buttons in the central place where it used to be located. What's more, and in what's perhaps the biggest change, the triggers now have a built-in rumble system, which Microsoft's calling "Impulse Triggers." There's now also a redesigned d-pad that takes on a more traditional "cross" look, while the thumbsticks are slightly shorter and have a textured design around the edge, which, presumably, should help keep your thumbs gripped with more ease. The battery compartment, meanwhile, is much smaller than the previous version. We're likely to hear more about the One's gamepad soon, so we'll be sure to keep you in the loop as more info comes in. Ben Gilbert contributed to this report. %Gallery-188986%
Microsoft unveils its next game console, the Xbox One
Microsoft debuted the Xbox One this afternoon live from a tent on its Redmond, Wash., campus, putting to end months of speculation about the company's next-generation video game console. The console will be available "later this year." Microsoft exec Don Mattrick called it out as an "all-in-one" box. The core strategy is "simple, instant and complete." It was debuted alongside a new gamepad as well as a new Kinect motion camera. The system itself is all black and features a two-tone finish with both matte and gloss in equal measure; a slot-loading Blu-ray optical drive sits out front on the left face, while a power button with the traditional Xbox logo is emblazoned on the right side (which looks to be touch-based). A new Kinect was also unveiled, and it powers the console -- "Xbox On" is being trumpeted as the most important feature. There's instant switching from the Xbox One dashboard to live television (which seems to confirm that HDMI-in rumor), and a live demo showed off impressive speeds. "Switching between live tv and all your games and entertainment is now as simple as using a remote," Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi said. He also demonstrated gesture controls for the console's UI, quickly snapping back to the dashboard with a pinch command.%Gallery-188989% %Gallery-189043%
Live from Microsoft's New Generation Xbox event!
It's time for the next generation. A New Generation, so says Microsoft, and we can't wait to see it. We're guessing you can't either, and so you'll want to join us for the unveiling of this new-gen Xbox, a device that we're hoping we'll actually get to see in the flesh -- unlike a certain other unveiling from a few months back. Tune in right here at the time listed below for all the liveblog action! May 21, 2013 1:00 PM EDT
Watch the Xbox reveal live stream along with us
We're all in tenterhooks over here at Engadget HQ waiting for the imminent arrival of the next Xbox. As we wait for the event to start though, Microsoft has unveiled a live stream where you can see the revealing for yourself. So once you've schooled yourself on all the rumors, come back at 1pm ET to watch the embedded stream below and keep an eye on our liveblog to see if any of them are proven right.
